Atlanta: Mercedes-Benz Stadium opening pushed back

20.04.2017 19:58source: AJC.com

It’s official now, Atlanta United will not open NFL’s latest stadium in late July. Inauguration has been postponed until August 26.

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Steve Cannon, CEO of Atlanta Falcons parent company AMB Group, said Tuesday that the opening will be pushed back from July 30, when an Atlanta United soccer match was to have been played in the new stadium, to Aug. 26, when a Falcons pre-season game is scheduled to be played there.

Cannon also confirmed that “decommissioning” and demolition of the Georgia Dome have been put on hold “until we are 100 percent certain of achieving our certificate of occupancy.”

“This really does represent an insurance policy,” he said. “We do not expect to use the Georgia Dome whatsoever.”

The $1.5 billion retractable-roof stadium was originally scheduled to open on March 1. That was pushed back to June 1 and then pushed back again to July 30. Cannon said the plan now calls for the stadium to open with Falcons’ pre-season games vs. Arizona on Aug. 26 and vs. Jacksonville on Aug. 31.